


Listen, Darling

by kscho



Series: Young Lady Lavellan [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, changed it up a bit tho, totally named this inquisitor after one of my friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 10:26:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16808821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kscho/pseuds/kscho
Summary: Vitalya Lavellan has been captured by Red Templars. She must struggle through several hardships if she want to become herself once again. Luckily for her, she is anything but alone.





	Listen, Darling

The templars wanted information. Facts and statistics she declined to give. So they went around various ways to get her to talk. First, a few dozen well placed punches to the face and ribs. Next, a good racking. Then there had been that torch prodded too close to her exposed collarbone. She had various sharp cuts on her right cheek, crossing her left eyebrow, and the word _mage_ literally carved into the skin of her left forearm.

Vitalya had screamed herself raw. She couldn't speak, not that she wanted to. She hadn't said a word since being captured. She kept her prayers silent. She wished beyond words that her friends had made it back to Skyhold safely. The templars had yet to use them as leverage, so she assumed none of them had been captured either. Still, she worried. But her worrying attracted the song. The beautiful cadence the red lyrium caressed into her mind. She grit her teeth against it, but there was nothing she could do to silence it in her head. Insanity crept closer and closer. Vitaly could run her hands through her hair and come free with several strands of her once luscious grey hair.

Everything hurt. Vitalya's face and arms were covered in her own blood. She barely even lifted her head from the stone floor when she heard shouting. Red templars had nasty tempers. She decided it was best to keep a steady rhythm to her breath and simply wait out the clamor. Normally she would have shied away from the cell when it was opened. Not this time. She hurt too much to care to be hurt again. She vaguely wondered what they would think of next. Perhaps they would start stripping her skin, or forcefully break some lesser bones she didn't need.

"Vitalya?"

How long had it been since she had heard her name? Days? Weeks? Surely not months? It wasn't easy to tell the time of day from inside a cave.

Strong arms lifted her frail body up. "Vitalya, can you hear me? Come on, kid..."

"Kid? Vitalya?" she mumbled with a weak scoff. "I don't think I've ever heard you say my name, Bull."

"Don't get used to it, boss."

Vitalya let her head drop back and her mind go blank.

\---

"I look awful," Vitalya observed with a strained smile. "Really, truly terrible." She did. Her entire torso was bruising. Dirt and mud stained her skin. The cuts on her face were taking their sweet time to heal. Vitalya could count nearly all of her ribs and her joints stuck out at sharp angles. "So much for the image of a stoic and strong Inquisitor," she laughed, glancing at Krem behind her, checking the heat of the water in the bath.

Krem shot her an unamused look. "It's nothing to joke about, your worship," he chided her.

"Never doubt my ability to put on a show for the people I care about," she mumbled, retying her robe around her skinnied body. She went over to Krem and promptly butted her head against his broad chest, sighing. His arms were around her in an instant, enveloping her with warmth.

The song was her companion, still.

Vitalya broke away with a strangled gasp. "Bath. Right." Ever the gentleman, Krem remained nearby while she tried to scrape the memories of the came from her skin, but never snuck a look. At least from what she could tell. Nearly burning herself out with the effort, Vitalya had at least managed to scour free the letters carved into her flesh using her mana. As clean as she ever remembered being in her life, Vitalya clambered out of the tub and peered skeptically at the heavy-laden tray of food that had arrived. Her appetite, notorious around Skyhold, had decided to take a holiday on her. Ignoring it outright, Vitalya slipped beneath the covers of her massive bed, content to sleep until the next age.

Except...

"Krem?"

"I'm here, Vee."

"Well, get in here then." He hesitated. "I'm serious, I'm freezing. Get in here." She giggled as he laid down on his back uncertainly. It wasn't until she tucked herself against him that he relaxed, turning towards her to embrace her properly.

"You know..." Vitalya mumbled. "I don't even know how long I was gone. It doesn't really matter, I suppose, and I'm not even interested in knowing." She took a deep breath. "Every time I woke up I wondered what form of torture they would try next. I think the freezing cold water plunge was a nice icing on the cake." She shuffled a bit so she could study Krem's face, watch him struggle to keep his composure. "Yet all I cared about was coming back to you. Believe me, I would've hated myself if I had died without a proper goodbye." She laughed a little too hard, falling into a coughing fit. Krem sat her up and rubbed her back soothingly as it passed. Vitalya wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, coming away with blood.

"Oh fuck," she mumbled. Krem was already on his feet with a small towel in hand. Vitalya pressed it to her mouth and leaned against him, sighing heavily. "Can't even cough without breaking something."

"How about sleeping, your worship? Think you can manage that without dying?"

\---

No alcohol, no exercising, no doing anything that might remotely bruise or draw blood.

Vitalya would rather have died in that cave.

Instead she was stuck in her room. Of course, it wasn't all bad. She had her friends to keep her company. And Krem, obviously. She threatened to inflict bodily harm when he refused to leave to train. After he had pointed out that he could easily stop whatever she attacked him with, she then say up on the railing over the stairs, teasing the idea of a misfortunate fall.

Cassandra came to look after her in his stead. The Seeker made sure Vitalya ate, slept, and kept away from any mischievous activities she was drawn to. They talked mildly about the soldiers she was helping Cullen train, but nothing of strategy. Vitalya didn't want to hear it.

If she was being honest, she was distracted by the song. The creeping hum of the lyrium that lingered in the back of her mind. Cass caught her drifting off more than once.

"I am so sick of this..." Vitalya grumbled, setting up her eleventh game of solitaire.

"I know how much you want to be back to normal, Inquisitor," Cassandra related, "but you physically cannot."

"Thanks for the reminder, Cass." There was a pause. "Can you, ah...go get the Commander? I need to speak with him."

"The war table can wait, Inquisitor."

Vitalya scowled and smacked her deck on the table aggressively. "This isn't about the damn war table or any other Inquisition matter. I simply need to speak with Commander Cullen. Please, Cass."

"Perhaps I should wait for-"

Now, Cassandra. It's an order this time."

Cassandra let out a short sigh before nodding once. "Inquisitor." She left swiftly.

Vitalya's hands curled around the deck in a tight fist as her entire body shook with a harsh tremble. Silent tears dripped to the stone floor. Her free hand drifted to her mouth as if she could cram her incoming sobs back into her lungs. She crumbled in on herself, hugging her midsection as she freely wept. Broken. Shattered. Unfixable. That was what she was. Her cuts and bruises would heal, but her resolve was shattered. It was like trying to find cover under a blade of grass whilst a tempest roared overhead. It couldn't be done. Of that, Vitalya knew that was the truth.

The song. The damn song.

"Inquisitor!" Immediately following her title, Cullen was at her side, a hand protectively resting between her shoulder blades.

Vitalya flew out of her chair and wrapped her arms around her Commander, manners be damned. She was grateful he only hesitated for a second before returning the gesture. His chilled breastplate was a stark contrast from her inflamed cheeks.

"Make it stop, please," she begged Cullen. "Make the music stop."

"I can't," he replied truthfully. "You know I can't, Inquisitor."

"V-Vitalya," she hiccuped. "When I'm having a major breakdown against your chest, please call me Vitalya."

"Vitalya," he echoed. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "It was the red lyrium, wasn't it?"

Vitalya recalled the heavy thrumming the massive crystals had given off. It reverberated in her muscles, made her head throb with pain. Pain that weakened her and let the song invade her thoughts.

"I just want it to stop. How do I make it stop?"

"Every day is a battle, Vitalya. You must win every one. Only then do the days start to get better."

"How do _you_ do it, Cullen?"

Her commander paused. "I'm not sure, to be honest," he admitted. "When I can't sleep, I walk. When I can't think, I take a moment to let it pass. When it gets really bad, the nights where I can't think nor can I sleep, I take a nighttime ride."

Vitalya reared back, furious. She pounded his breastplate with all the strength she had in her weakened arm. Cullen made a surprised sound of protest. "Nobody will even let me leave my room!" she shouted, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm STUCK up here with nothing but books I've already read and this fucking deck of cards! I can't even play Wicked Grace! EVERYONE is just SO content with locking me up here and hoping for the best!" Shouting a phrase in elvhen, she pounded his breastplate again, truly angry. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, YOU HEAR ME? I'M DONE!"

"You're not allowed to be 'done,'" Cullen stated firmly, grasping her arms to prevent her from hitting any other part of him. "You are the Inquisitor. You stand for us all."

"BUT WHAT IF I CAN'T?!"

Cullen gave her wrists a firm squeeze. "You can."

Vitalya froze and stopped struggling. "That's not fair," she blurted out. "You can't use MY line!"

"I believe I just did." Cullen let go of her and glanced at her cloak. "Why don't you jump into some warmer clothes? I'll take you on my nighttime ride."

\---

Unsurprisingly to Cullen, his nighttime ride was just what Vitalya needed. He had actually argued against Josephine and Leliana when they insisted she first regain her strength before returning to her duties as Inquisitor. The thought brought a low growl from his chest. More like "hide the Inquisitor away because she looks weak and the Inquisition can't afford to look that way as well." He didn't want to think of what would become of himself if he were locked in his tower, unable to leave for days like Vitalya had been.

He slipped half an apple from his pocket and held it up to her hart, Rodger. Why she had gone and named her mount as such, he had never asked, but always wondered. The massive animal sniffed the apple before nipping it out of Cullen's gloved hands, puffing him with a warm exhale in thanks. As he dug out another half for his own Ferelden Forder, he caught a glance of Vitalya out of the corner of his eye. She was flat on her stomach in the snow, nose to nose with a fennec fox. The animal's fur was white to match with the land, but its eyes and nose stood out against it proudly. Vitalya was murmuring in elvhen. The fennec cocked its head left and right as if it was listening. Eventually Vitalya giggled and said one final, foreign word before blowing lightly on the fox's nose, sending it slinking away. Cullen couldn't help but admire her ear-to-ear grin, so full and infectiously joyful. He found his own lips parting to mimic her smile.

Cremisius was certainly a lucky young man, indeed.

\---

Whether her advisors thought it was wise or foolish, Vitalya insisted on resuming her trainings to build herself back up. She trained with Dorian and Vivienne every day. Most times she collapsed to her knees, out of breath and ready to pass out. But she never failed to pick herself back up and try again with a terrifyingly determined look in her violet eyes. The only people that would dare to spar with her were Hawke and Warden-Commander Ana Theirin. Quite the pair, they were, always in fits of laughter over some immature or outright terrible joke. Constantly jabbing each other with well worded insults. They took it easy on her, never going full contact in the first couple of weeks, simply walking her through forms and maneuvers.

The song was beginning to fade.

\---

"Fuck!' Vitalya gasped as Krem continued to give all of his attention to her pulse point. Her blunted nails dug into his sleeveless shirt and her hips rocked against his.

"Like that, your worship?" Krem teased, giving a gentle nip to the tip of her ear. She responded with an elvhen curse, her whole body shuddering with sensitive pleasure. Krem kissed her once more. "Are you sure about... I mean, we don't have to! If you'd rather-"

"Krem."

"Yes?"

Vitalya waited for him to look at her before she went further. "I want to," she assured him quietly, cupping his cheek. "Do you?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he answered more firmly. "Maker, yes, I want to."

Vitalya smiled and kissed him sweetly. "Good."

There was a harsh knock at the door. Krem audibly groaned his disappointment. Vitalya giggled at him and hopped off his lap, dashing over to look down the stairs. Solas was standing patiently at the foot of them by the door and looked up at her with a friendly smirk. "Inquisitor," he greeted her, putting one foot on the stairs.

"Wait!" Vitalya squeaked, holding a hand out. "Solas, I super appreciate these healing sessions, but-" She fought vainly against a devious smirk. "-I think we can skip it for one day, don't you think? Help me build up some constitution on my own, right?"

Solas shot her a skeptical look, but removed his foot from the first stair. "As you wish, Inquisitor. Have a good afternoon."

"Thanks, Solas!" she called brightly, retreating back to the bed. "Think that was a bit too obvious?" she asked Krem.

"Maybe a little," he chuckled. His hands skimmed along her thighs. Vitalya leaned in to kiss him, nearly melting in his arms as his fingers danced under her shirt and across her back. There was another, louder knock on the door. Vitalya groaned and pressed her forehead to Krem's.

"We can't get off easy, can we?"


End file.
